The Last Cuentista

Winner of the Newbery Medal--a brilliant journey through the stars, to the very heart of what makes us human.

"Gripping in its twists and turns, and moving in its themes -- truly a beautiful cuento."--New York Times

Había una vez . . .

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita.

But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children -- among them Petra and her family -- have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race.

Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet -- and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard -- or purged them altogether.

Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

P R A I S E

"Clever and compelling ... wonderfully subversive."
--The Wall Street Journal

? "This tale packs a wallop. Exquisite."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred)

? "Gripping, euphonious, and full of storytelling magic."
--Publishers Weekly (starred)

? "A strong, heroic character, fighting incredible odds to survive and protect others."
--School Library Journal (starred)

WINNER

John Newbery Medal - Pura Belpré Award

BEST OF THE YEAR

TIME - Wall Street Journal - Minneapolis Star Tribune's - Boston Globe - BookPage - Publishers Weekly - School Library Journal - Kirkus - Bank Street - Chicago Public Library - New York Public Library